Here in Massachusetts they've been finding subprime lenders that received a W2 from an applicant for a loan that showed one monthly income amount then submitted a loan application with a higher amount on it so the creditor would ok the bigger loan. Now they can't pay their growing mortgage payments.
Hahaha! I laugh at your pathetic example. I used to play Squad Leader and Advanced Squad Leader. The rules were hundreds of dense pages of conditions and numbers. It took DAYS to play some scenarios. Pieces represented every squad, NCO, squad weapon, AFV, fire, smoke, etc. Just trying to stack pieces for a dense city battle was a struggle. Every action required checking the rules. It was like going to law school to play. "In the case of a halftrack moving in smoke behind a wall, what is the TH modifier for the 2nd shot from a high rate of fire AA gun?" Half the time you wouldn't bother firing a weak unit because you were sick of doing the calculations just for a long shot. After a game it was interesting to check the rules and spot how many you missed. I always thought about making a computer game version of it (many have come close but none have ever done it 100%) but I don't have the time or know-how.
Speaking of younger brothers and pets. My older brother would play-by-mail Russian Campaign (Avalon Hill). The board was packed with pieces and became a magnet for our big Maine Coon cat would would wipe out entire armies and walk off with armored divisions stuck to his fur. He resorted to putting that blue putty gunk under the pieces to hold them in place. I would also harrass him when he played Third Reich by moving his BRP counters when he wasn't playing to see if he noticed. He usually did, heh!
"Wouldn't algebra seem a great deal more interesting if it was taught in a basic electronics class? Ohms law is a great way to demonstrate applied algebra. At the very least it shows how math can be useful."
Only after learning the basics of algebra first. Adding a layer of complexity to it just makes things harder. As a kid they tried to teach me about gravity by having us play with ramps and such instead of looking at the math. All of the fiddling with ramps and clocks didn't teach me squat. It was when they showed the mathemetical relationship between time and velocity and such that I got it, THEN all the ramp fiddling made sense.
Interesting ideas. I've NEVER had to do anything even remotely similar to a term paper in my working life. The term paper seems to have support just because people grew up with it. Being able to be concise and get to the heart of the matter (as you described) strikes me as a much more valuable skill than being able to read a bunch of sources and cobble them together. I don't see how the term paper format helps you express yourself clearly, it seems to encourage flowery writing instead. Talk to any important leader and I guarantee you the first thing they will say is "keep it brief".
"Note that we're looking only at technology that has arisen since the dawn of the personal computer, so don't expect to see the cotton gin and the transistor radio on the list."
I don't know squat about processor design and I'm risking abuse but anyway...
In this day and age of multi-core CPUs, why not have a processor with a X64 ISA core and a core with the desired architecture. Let them run in parallel like 32/64 bit compatible CPUs. Old software would run on the X64 cpu and newer software or updated versions could run on the newer core. Maybe this could provide a crutch for the PC world to modernize over time.
"What sluggards, what cowards have I brought up in my court, who care nothing for their allegiance to their lord. Who will rid me of these meddlesome judges!"
I loved finding all of those cool memory addresses you could peek, poke and call. For instance "call 62454" set the entire screen instantly to whatever the color of point 0,0 was in hi-res graphics mode. I can't believe I still remember that.
It annoys me whenever people toss out the idea that "Aliens must've told them what to do" with the implication that ancient people were too ignorant to figure how to do things themselves. Like you said, these people lived every day with these tools and materials and were no different than us. They were always looking for ways to get more out of what they had. They had people who thought just like modern engineers or skilled craftsmen. The problem is that they usually didn't write things down or the idea stayed local and didn't spread.
Some of the techniques they used are disarmingly simple yet clever. For instance, the Egyptians didn't have iron to help split stone blocks, so they hammered out holes then inserted dry wooden edges and watered them until they swelled and split the rock. Pretty damn smart.
I wouldn't be surprised if the Egyptians cut the stone blocks into easier to move shapes at the quarry then cut them into the final shape at the building site. Maybe they cut them into cylinders and rolled them!
Piling up (and tearing down) that much sand would've been as great a task as building the pyramids themselves.
I wonder if anyone has dug around the base of the great pyramids. If they used ramps then there must be some traces of foundations or some such signs left near them.
From what I've read things were cooler and wetter in that region thousands of years ago. The Iraq region was also much more fertile due to a complex irrigation system that the Mongols and subsiquent decay managed to destroy.
Slashdot Mirror
Here in Massachusetts they've been finding subprime lenders that received a W2 from an applicant for a loan that showed one monthly income amount then submitted a loan application with a higher amount on it so the creditor would ok the bigger loan. Now they can't pay their growing mortgage payments.
But would they get any kwel l00t?
There's gold in them thar terlets!
Hahaha! I laugh at your pathetic example. I used to play Squad Leader and Advanced Squad Leader. The rules were hundreds of dense pages of conditions and numbers. It took DAYS to play some scenarios. Pieces represented every squad, NCO, squad weapon, AFV, fire, smoke, etc. Just trying to stack pieces for a dense city battle was a struggle. Every action required checking the rules. It was like going to law school to play. "In the case of a halftrack moving in smoke behind a wall, what is the TH modifier for the 2nd shot from a high rate of fire AA gun?" Half the time you wouldn't bother firing a weak unit because you were sick of doing the calculations just for a long shot. After a game it was interesting to check the rules and spot how many you missed. I always thought about making a computer game version of it (many have come close but none have ever done it 100%) but I don't have the time or know-how.
Speaking of younger brothers and pets. My older brother would play-by-mail Russian Campaign (Avalon Hill). The board was packed with pieces and became a magnet for our big Maine Coon cat would would wipe out entire armies and walk off with armored divisions stuck to his fur. He resorted to putting that blue putty gunk under the pieces to hold them in place. I would also harrass him when he played Third Reich by moving his BRP counters when he wasn't playing to see if he noticed. He usually did, heh!
FTFA:
"Games are becoming, in a lot of respects, entertainment," Silver said.
What were they before? Table decorations?
I've had university classes where the prof literally read from the book. I'd look at my notes and realize I'd just copied pages from my text book.
"Wouldn't algebra seem a great deal more interesting if it was taught in a basic electronics class? Ohms law is a great way to demonstrate applied algebra. At the very least it shows how math can be useful."
Only after learning the basics of algebra first. Adding a layer of complexity to it just makes things harder. As a kid they tried to teach me about gravity by having us play with ramps and such instead of looking at the math. All of the fiddling with ramps and clocks didn't teach me squat. It was when they showed the mathemetical relationship between time and velocity and such that I got it, THEN all the ramp fiddling made sense.
Interesting ideas. I've NEVER had to do anything even remotely similar to a term paper in my working life. The term paper seems to have support just because people grew up with it. Being able to be concise and get to the heart of the matter (as you described) strikes me as a much more valuable skill than being able to read a bunch of sources and cobble them together. I don't see how the term paper format helps you express yourself clearly, it seems to encourage flowery writing instead. Talk to any important leader and I guarantee you the first thing they will say is "keep it brief".
"Students learn much more about a topic from interviewing people on camera or on audio recorder"
This is going to be a bitch if your assignment is on, say, Alexander The Great.
Personally I'm less likely to shop when it is light out. I'd rather be outside than in a store. I do most of my shopping after sundown if I can.
(Said while pounding fist into sand)
They included Planet of the Apes!? Those maniancs! Damn you! Damn you all to hell!
RTFA:
"Note that we're looking only at technology that has arisen since the dawn of the personal computer, so don't expect to see the cotton gin and the transistor radio on the list."
I don't know squat about processor design and I'm risking abuse but anyway...
In this day and age of multi-core CPUs, why not have a processor with a X64 ISA core and a core with the desired architecture. Let them run in parallel like 32/64 bit compatible CPUs. Old software would run on the X64 cpu and newer software or updated versions could run on the newer core. Maybe this could provide a crutch for the PC world to modernize over time.
A call is made from the White House...
"What sluggards, what cowards have I brought up in my court, who care nothing for their allegiance to their lord. Who will rid me of these meddlesome judges!"
The horse and buggy was good enough for me and my grandpappy so it should be good enough for you!
I loved finding all of those cool memory addresses you could peek, poke and call. For instance "call 62454" set the entire screen instantly to whatever the color of point 0,0 was in hi-res graphics mode. I can't believe I still remember that.
I just wish these people would also reject the science behind internal combustion so they'd stay the off the road when I'm driving.
Fellow true believers, there are no cars in the Bible, stop using the tools of the devil!
"Real chemists have better things to do with their time in most cases"
I'd say keeping an eye on our food supply and what is put in it is a pretty good use of your time.
It annoys me whenever people toss out the idea that "Aliens must've told them what to do" with the implication that ancient people were too ignorant to figure how to do things themselves. Like you said, these people lived every day with these tools and materials and were no different than us. They were always looking for ways to get more out of what they had. They had people who thought just like modern engineers or skilled craftsmen. The problem is that they usually didn't write things down or the idea stayed local and didn't spread.
Some of the techniques they used are disarmingly simple yet clever. For instance, the Egyptians didn't have iron to help split stone blocks, so they hammered out holes then inserted dry wooden edges and watered them until they swelled and split the rock. Pretty damn smart.
I wouldn't be surprised if the Egyptians cut the stone blocks into easier to move shapes at the quarry then cut them into the final shape at the building site. Maybe they cut them into cylinders and rolled them!
Piling up (and tearing down) that much sand would've been as great a task as building the pyramids themselves.
I wonder if anyone has dug around the base of the great pyramids. If they used ramps then there must be some traces of foundations or some such signs left near them.
From what I've read things were cooler and wetter in that region thousands of years ago. The Iraq region was also much more fertile due to a complex irrigation system that the Mongols and subsiquent decay managed to destroy.
Accompanied by that intergalactic hit single "Do They Know Its Zaphod Beeblebrox Day?"
No goatse link?
Now you REALLY shouldn't talk with your mouth full.
And make sure you don't slam the phone down when you are mad. You'll bust a tooth.
Well, after reading books like "The Forgotten Soldier" and "Panzer Commander" I found myself stealing a Tiger from a WWII museum and invading Russia.
I just wish this "watching/reading about it leads to it" rule worked for sex though.